The present invention relates to a low-voltage connector, and more particularly to a low-voltage connector that belongs to a specific category referred to asxe2x80x9ccategory 7xe2x80x9d having low crosstalk levels because of the isolation of the pins arranged in pairs.
That type of low-voltage connector comprises a generally metal or metal-plated body defining electromagnetically-isolated compartments in which the pins of the connector are disposed in pairs so that there is almost no inductive coupling between the various pairs of pins. It is thus a type of low-voltage connector that is particularly suitable for high data rates, unlike a connector of the RJ 45 type which has much lower-performance crosstalk characteristics.
The pins arranged in pairs inside the metal or metal-plated body are held in a bed of plastics material. Each pin has a contact zone serving to come into electrical contact with the pins of another connector of the same type, and a connection zone that normally serves to receive a conductor wire of a pair that is part of an eight-wire cord. In general, the connection means are in the form of insulation-displacement contacts that define respective slots into which the individual conductor wires are inserted so as to cut through their protective coverings to their cores.
As indicated above, such a low-voltage connector may be associated with another connector of the same type: this is possible because of the hermaphrodite nature of that type of low-voltage connector.
To sum up, it can be said that the rear portion of the connector that has the insulation-displacement contacts serves for wiring a cord having four pairs of conductor wires, while the front portion serves for enabling another connector of the same type to be plugged into it.
That particular type of low-voltage connector (category 7) can be used in distribution cabinets, e.g. incorporated in rack front panels, or else inside an electronic appliance, mounted on a printed circuit. However, the connector to be mounted in a rack front panel and the connector to be mounted in an electronic appliance on a printed circuit are not of exactly the same type, and they require special tools which give rise to additional cost. Special tools are necessary for connecting the connection cables to a connector installed in a rack front panel, and other special tools are necessary for mounting a connector on a printed circuit.
In addition, it is not possible to use an RJ 45 connector or a coaxial connector to connect up to that end of the connector which has the insulation-displacement contacts. That end is specially suited to receiving the pairs of wires from a wiring cord and not to receiving a connector of a totally different type.
An object of the present invention is to mitigate those drawbacks of the prior art by defining a low-voltage connector making it possible to connect another type of connector (RJ 45, BNC, or some other type) to its rear portion, or to mount the connector directly on a printed circuit board.
To this end, the present invention provides a low-voltage connector provided with a plurality of pins arranged in pairs, each pin being provided with a contact zone at the front of the connector, which contact zone serves to come into electrical contact when an associated connector is plugged in, and with a connection zone at the rear of the connector, which connection zone normally serves to establish electrical connection with a respective conductor wire, an adapter provided with connection means co-operating, instead of said conductor wires, with the connection zones of the pins, and also provided with contact means serving to come into electrical contact with a separate component, wherein said connection zones comprise insulation-displacement contacts provided with slots, and the connection means of the adapter comprise pins inserted into the slots of the insulation-displacement contacts.
Advantageously, the insulation-displacement contacts provided with slots are directly accessible from the rear of the connector and are angularly positioned such that the pins are inserted into the slots of the insulation-displacement contacts by a plug-in movement in translation. The adapter is merely plugged into the slots of the insulation-displacement contacts, which is not possible with a plug of the RJ 45 type in which it is necessary to open the plug in order to connect the wires electrically.
When the connector is to be fixed directly to a printed circuit board, the adapter may be provided with tabs that co-operate with contact holes provided in a printed circuit. The printed circuit thus constitutes the separate component so that the connector can be mounted on the printed circuit of an electronic appliance via said adapter.
In another version, the adapter may incorporate a printed circuit portion which then defines contact means serving to come into electrical contact with a connector of the RJ 45 type, of the BNC type, or of some other type.
In which case, each of the pins may be formed with a tab inserted into a respective contact hole provided in a printed circuit defining the contact means.
The present invention also provides an adapter as defined above, advantageously having fixing means for fixing it to said low-voltage connector.